In all likelihood, the 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year race was settled when Jabari Parker tore his ACL in mid-December. At the time, Parker was the favorite, and his injury left No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves as the only rookie with the right combination of playing time and offensive production to win the award.
As I originally discovered last season when writing about the rookie of the year race, 26 of the past 27 ROY awards have gone to the rookie with the highest combined per-game averages in points, rebounds and assists per game. (The other one went to the second-place finisher.) If that trend holds, Wiggins is the clear choice:
But if voters look deeper, they'll discover that it's time to buck the trend and pick a rookie who's not even in the top five in combined points, rebounds and assists per game: Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic.
Making a difference on a playoff team